Waiting tables is a lost art ... but since it makes for heavily discounted meals ...

[BadgeBunny]

I'm not sure I care anymore.

Wednesday night GC and I frequented HIS second favorite place to eat, Western Sizzlin. Now, yes, I know it is a buffet, but I will tip if the waiter or waitress keeps our drink glasses full. Weeeeeelllllll ... Doris (name changed to protect the not so innocent) not only did not ask if we wanted more to drink, she did not do anything ... at all. She was too busy flirting with the groups of guys coming in and letting know how awful it was that she had lost $30 at the casino.

I got up and got us our own salad plates. I refilled my water glass twice and GC's iced tea once. I had to ask Doris to remove the dirty dishes as she tried to skirt past our table unnoticed once.

Now, since we eat there fairly regularly I decided to talk to the manager about this. Doris' cohort in crime (another waitress who also liked to spend an inordinate amount of time with the male customers) station was behind the cash register. She listened intently as I spoke with the manager and then suddenly scooted off, no doubt to warn Doris of the impending doom.

Sure enough, Doris showed up just in time to hear me say that apparently she was more interested in trying to snag $30 to cover her losses at the casino than she was in earning the tips that could logically solve her money problems.

If I hadn't moved slightly to the left when I looked up, GC would have had to come back in to gather up the little pile of ash that would have been me. I simply looked at her and said "Yes, Doris, I am complaining about YOU."

I never ask for a discount but the manager offered to knock off 50% and I, of course, accepted. We will go back. In the restaurant's defense, that was the ONLY time we've gotten service that was that bad there.

OK ... move on to Thursday night ...

We go to dinner with friends at Chili's. Our waitress was non-existent. I mean, literally ... She walked away from the table while GC was ordering an appetizer (guess he really didn't want that appetizer anyway! LOL), disappeared completely from the floor at 10-15 minutes at a time, the manager FINALLY brought us our food, but we sat there for what I know was almost a half hour waiting to get our ticket so we could leave.

FINALLY, I got up and had to go to the other side of the place to find ANYBODY who worked there even though there were employees all over the place. Ten minutes later the manager finally shows up. I tell him my predicament and he says "Well what do you want me to do?"

OK ... well, you asked ... So I told him it would be nice if he comped our food. He got that panicked look in his eye and said "How 'bout if I give you a discount?" OK, that's fine ... and off he goes ...

I look around 5 minutes later and he and our waitress are at the cash register obviously bumfuzzled, so I walk over and ask if there is a problem with our ticket. He says "I'll bring your ticket to you in a minute." I said "That's what you said 5 minutes ago." He looks at me like he could cry and said "How 'bout if I just comp your meals?"

If I'd known he was gonna comp our meals I'd have drank a little more ... As we were leaving the waitress came over and said "I'm sorry, I had other tables to wait on."

Ok ... Up 'til then I'd been quiet and respectful but that was the last straw!! WTF!! "OTHER TABLES TO WAIT ON?!?!?!?" Seriously, did that just come out of her mouth.

Oh, well ... It's all good ... I figure between the two meals for us at each place and the two meals for our friends last night, we saved about $100 before the non-existent tips I left.

I could get used to this! LOL

 

[Preacherman]

I was at an Outback in Texas and over heard two costomers complain that the salad was blan and wanted their meal and drinks compted. I thought to myself that it is salad and salad is blan until I drowned it with dressing. They were just looking for an unjustified free meal. However your case sounds even deserving of the next vist to be comped as well.

 

[buckeye]

I quit eating at pretty much all the chains for those kinds of reasons. Well, that and the food is pretty lousy compared to what you can get for maybe 20% more somewhere else. Or at that little Thai place on Harvard for less! Or Tacos Don Francisco's on 11th, whoo boy...! Cheap and good with quick old fashioned service, the way Brownie's used to be. Plus, my wife makes better steak than I've ever had out.

All the menus are the same. Western Sizzlin' Outback Lone Star Chili's Chimi's Applebee's Cheddar's Charleston's Delta Cafe Red Robin the list goes on and on. Same crap, different stuff screwed to the walls.

 

[HackerF15E]

Service is certainly a lost concept in the US, compared to 10 or 20 years ago.

 

[Tulsa Shooter]

It's hard to get good service anywhere anymore. If I go to 5 places, maybe 1 out of the 5 will have ok service. The usual is no drink refills, long wait for food, missing server the entire time. Then when you have to get someones attention after 10-15 minutes, they act like you inconvenienced them. If a server can just refill my drink when it's empty I consider that good service these days lol.

 

[inactive]

Or at that little Thai place on Harvard for less!

Super Bangkok is awesome, if that is what you are referring to (32nd and Harvard).

 

[been]

One thing i hate doing is pointing out a well done steak thats supposed to be medium rare. Happens every time.

 

[soonerwings]

Maybe I just have good luck..... almost all of the places I frequent have excellent service. I can't remember the last time I got what I considered to be bad service.

 

[JD8]

Start eating local.

 

[dowmace]

One thing i hate doing is pointing out a well done steak thats supposed to be medium rare. Happens every time.

This oh my God this.

I hate when I order a steak medium rare and it's obviously well done. If it's not pouring juice and bright pink then it's over cooked!